N. National to receive stimulus funding

Tuesday, March 24, 2009
A portion of North National Avenue running south from Linker Street to Wall Street is scheduled to be resurfaced using some money that Kansas received from the recently-enacted federal economic stimulus package. (Jason E. Silvers/Tribune photo)

A project to resurface a section of North National Avenue and to complete other improvements in that area are on the Kansas Department of Transportation's list to receive federal stimulus funding.

KDOT announced Monday that 77 projects totaling $34.7 million, including $4.5 million for 13 projects in the agency's Southeast Kansas District, have been chosen to receive federal stimulus funding for road and bridge improvements.

Included on KDOT's list is a $228,280 project that involves the milling and resurfacing of North National Avenue from Linker Street south to Wall Street. The project also includes the repair of curbs and sidewalks adjacent to the portion of National Avenue that will be resurfaced. The project will also involve inspection and asphalt surfacing of that section of National Avenue and the re-seeding of grassy areas near the street, according to KDOT.

Fort Scott City Manager Joe Turner said city officials applied for stimulus funds to pay for the project after recent discussions about which local projects would be eligible to receive funding. Turner said city officials agreed that the National Avenue resurfacing project is one that could get underway soon.

"We had talked about it at staff meetings," he said. "Some (local) projects were not ready to go to bid ... They (KDOT) wanted something ready to go. And it's badly needed."

Engineers from each of KDOT's six districts evaluated and selected all local projects following specified criteria, including job creation, whether the project was in an economically distressed area, and whether it could be completed in three years. Each district used its own weighting of the criteria to reflect the needs of the regional highway system. Many of the projects will include a local funding component, which allowed the $34.7 million in stimulus funds to be stretched even further, according to KDOT.

KDOT District Four Public Affairs Manager Priscilla Petersen said the National Avenue project will enhance the safety of a busy street through the downtown area, provide for protection toward extending the life of the street, create about 25 jobs, and take about three months to complete.

The project will be completely funded by federal stimulus money, with no required matching funds from the City of Fort Scott, Petersen said.

"It's a very worthy project," she said.

The state has received $348 million for highway and bridge projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with $38 million directed to the Kansas City and Wichita metro areas by federal formula. KDOT then sought applications from local units of government to share more than $34 million for city and county projects.

"With many worthy projects submitted for consideration, the final selection was very difficult," KDOT Deputy Secretary Jerry Younger said. "But I am confident that the projects selected will enhance local transportation networks and give a boost to the economies in each of the project locations."

The number of requests for local funding far exceeded the available funds. KDOT received 422 requests for projects totaling $275 million, a KDOT statement said.

To view the full list of selected projects and specific funding, visit KDOT's ARRA Web site at http://www.ksdot.org/EconomicStimulus.asp.